This invention concerns an armature support for hinged, or pivotal, relay comprising a yoke, or pole piece, an armature positioned at an end portion of the pole piece, and an armature holding spring which supports at least one switch contact and which is mechanically coupled to the armature.
With such a hinged relay an armature bears on at least two support points or also along a thin support edge of a pole piece at an end portion thereof.
The armature is held by an armature spring which is mechanically coupled thereto and which is coupled to the rest of the relay assembly at a suitable place.
When the armature is positioned in the area of the end portion of the pole piece, the armature has a certain axial play in a direction of its rotational axis.
This play can be reduced, with a corresponding expense, however it cannot be totally eliminated because this would lead to a fixed clamping of the hinged armature at its support positions.
This "position play" leads therefore, in known relays, to a displacement, or movement, of the armature along its support edge. It is thereby disadvantages that with this movement of the armature a movement of the armature holding spring also results so that a switch contact attached to the armature holding spring is no longer centered with its opposite contact, which is fixed relative to the rest of the relay assembly.
Thus, a contact is made which leads to a consumption of the switch contacts, however not in those areas where a particularly large consumption reserve has been provided for, but rather, mainly at edge areas of the switch contacts. A particularly quick consumption of the switch contacts caused in this manner can, by deforming the contacts, further lead to a blocking interference between the contacts.
A relative displacement of the contacts relative to one another thereby negatively affects a lifetime of such a hinged relay to a great extent and should, therefore, be avoided if possible.
In addition to this requisite play in the armature support, structural tolerances in a mounting of a relay can lead to a relative displacement of the switch contacts. In this manner, for example, during fabrication of a mechanical attachment between an armature holding spring and an armature, structural tolerances can lead to the armature holding spring being moved or rotated relative to a desired position on the armature. This also leads to a false positioning of the switch contact on the armature holding spring and to the disadvantages set forth above.
Because a minimizing of structural tolerances brings about a great increase in manufacturing costs, it is an object of this invention to provide an armature support for a hinged relay which is constructed in a particularly uncomplicated and cost effective manner so that a contact displacement during mounting and use of the relay is held small or completely eliminated if possible.